


i hear the drums, the battle cry

by CyrusBreeze



Series: can't knock me down [1]
Category: Station 19 (TV)
Genre: Dialogue Heavy, F/M, Friendship, Gen, Not Beta Read, Secret Relationships, Team as Family, We Die Like Men
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-24
Updated: 2018-11-24
Packaged: 2019-08-28 11:13:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,917
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16722285
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CyrusBreeze/pseuds/CyrusBreeze
Summary: An unfortunate coincidence forces Vic to divulge her relationship with Ripley to her teammates sooner than anticipated.It goes about as well as expected.





	i hear the drums, the battle cry

**Author's Note:**

> This is actually a prelude of sorts to a prompt I'm working on. 
> 
> I tried to keep everyone as in character as possible, but writing S19 characters I'm unfamiliar with proved to be a challenge. 
> 
> Is this the most realistic of reactions? No, but they do discuss some difficult things before coming to a consensus. I wanted this to end on happier note because let's just say that the next part won't be as great, but it's all gonna be okay, eventually...
> 
> Title comes from Can't Knock Me Down by Anna Mae (aka the song that plays when Vic jumps over the fire like a badass).
> 
> Enjoy this mostly fluffy bit, while it lasts.... 
> 
> Trigger Warnings: Discussion of power dynamics in the context of sex and consent, implied misogyny

Vic was terrible at keeping secrets. It didn’t matter the type. She did her Christmas shopping two days prior to Christmas and then went radio silent so that she didn’t spoil the surprise. No one told her about surprise parties in advance. And she was just as shocked as her parents when her siblings gave them a cruise for their 25th wedding anniversary. 

Point was, Vic was terrible at keeping secrets, especially with those that mattered to her. It was why she tried her best not to keep secrets from her team.Even when she did keep secrets, it always ended up coming out in the way that Vic least expected it to.

It was why, when Andy found Ripley’s name tag in Vic’s car, Vic decided that it was best to come clean. There was no way she could come up with a good, believable excuse, and there was no way that she would be able to uphold the questioning that was sure to follow. So, she invited the entire team over for beer and told them that she had to tell them something. 

Everyone showed up, on time, no less, and Vic felt like she was going to vomit. 

“What’s so important that you invited us here, to see you, during the twenty-four hours that we actually have off before we have to be at the station, not to mention, half an hour before the Seahawks game,” Miller said. 

Vic stared at her team. They all looked confused, even Andy, who knew why she had called this meeting. Vic pulled Ripley’s name tag from her pocket and placed it in the middle of the table.

“Andy found this in my car earlier today,” Vic said. 

“Did you give Ripley a ride?” Warren asked, perplexed. 

Gibson gave her a knowing glance. Travis stared at her for a moment. Then, at the sight of her face, he suddenly understood. The soft understanding on his face was what gave her the power to push through. Maya coughed, hard. 

“Ripley and I,” Vic began. “We are. We’re together.” 

They had literally _just_ (as in two days ago) defined their relationship and here Vic was announcing said relationship to her entire team. Well, her entire team minus Sullivan. But she was never going to divulge the details of her sex life to Robert Sullivan, not even under threat of perjury.

The entire table erupted, loud enough to jolt Vic from her thoughts. 

“Quiet!” Gibson yelled. “Don’t overwhelm Hughes with questions. One at a time.” 

Andy turned on Gibson, narrowing her eyes at him. “You knew, didn’t you? How?”

And Andy of all people was the most likely to understand. She had slept with Gibson after all, when she was a firefighter and he was ranked lieutenant. Certainly, the power dynamics weren’t nearly as bad, but the fact remained that she understood them woes and dangers of a workplace romance. Hell, the fact that she could _still_ understand Gibson just by reading his face meant that she had to understand that sometimes workplace romances transcended what was rational. You could still fall in love with someone even when every ounce of common sense in your body told you not to. 

Vic struck the thought of love from her mind. She was not going to have that realization, not when her team was about to grill her about her relationship with Ripley. Sudden and random realization of feelings were for journaling in the privacy of her bedroom, without six pairs of eyes staring at her. 

Gibson floundered, and his non answer was an answer in it of itself. His struggle gave Vic a moment to compose herself, and Vic sent him a silent thanks even if this whole situation wasn’t exactly intentional. 

“Me, first,” Travis said, and his stare made Vic feel like he was looking directly in her soul. It was fiercely protective look, the same one that Vic had seen on her father and brothers when she brought home her first boyfriend. 

“Yes?” Vic squeaked, even though she knew exactly what Travis was going to ask. Travis, ever rational, ever compassionate, and completely and totally overprotective of everyone he held dear. 

“How do we know he’s not taking advantage of you?” Travis asked, just like Vic knew he would. “He’s the Chief, you’re a firefighter. You’ve got to understand how bad this looks.” 

Vic pursed her lips together, trying to find a way to address the situation in a way that wouldn’t send Travis running to HR. 

“I do understand how it looks,” Vic began. “We _both_ understand how it looks, and we get that there are inherent power dynamics behind it. But those power dynamics don’t make me incapable of consenting to sex with Ripley when I want to have sex with him.” Vic smirked a little to herself. “And believe me, I am perfectly capable of telling him when I do and don’t want sex.”

She stared at her teammates. Warren made a face at her implications. 

Travis’s face was impossible to read. It was the same face he made when he was meditating or practicing mindfulness. That was good, it meant that he wasn’t actively judging her, just thinking, processing.

“What happens if you guys break up?” Maya asked. “Or what happens when you do something that demands discipline?”

“If we break up, then we’re adults and we should be able to keep our personal lives personal and our professional lives professional. As far as discipline goes, Sullivan handles most of my discipline as he’s my direct supervisor. If it goes beyond that, I trust Ripley to make an unbiased decision about discipline.” 

The table erupted again, and this time is was Warren to spoke. 

“I’ve been in Hughes’ shoes,” he said. “Perhaps our power dynamics weren’t that bad because we were married before I became an intern, but Miranda still held a position of power over me, and after I cut a man open with a clipboard and then made a reckless decision that cost two patients their life, Miranda was put into a difficult situation. She suspended me, but beyond that, my case went to internal review. Besides her initial decision to suspend me, my resulting punishment was beyond her control. I’m assuming that if Hughes does something bad enough that she has to go to the chief for it, then it’s probably going to be a similar process, which means less room for bias.” 

“Thank you, Warren,” Vic said, giving him a small smile.

“What happens with promotions?” Maya asked. “You have to interview with the chief for promotions to lieutenant and beyond. Being in a relationship with him has certain implications for your career-” 

“Hold on,” Montgomery said, interrupting. “Are you implying that Vic would sleep with Chief Ripley for a promotion? First off, she’s not eligible for a promotion for at least two more years. Secondly m, Vic is your teammate and a very capable firefighter. Not only is that misogyny-” 

“Oh can it, Montgomery,” Maya shot back. “I don’t need you to lecture me about misogyny within firefighting. I’m very well aware of it, and if you let me finish instead of interrupting like men tend to do, you’d understand what I was asking. I know Vic is an extremely capable firefighter and I trust her with my life. I was going to ask if Vic was prepared for the effect that this will have on her career when she gets promoted. People, mostly men, but women like Frankel have proved that they can be just as misogynistic, are automatically going to assume that she got promoted because of her connections and not because of her talent. They assumed it with Andy, and she is a very capable lieutenant and was an excellent acting Captain, but because of her Dad, they refuse to acknowledge her accomplishments. I just don’t want to see that happen to Vic too.” 

“I’m standing right here,” Vic said. “I’d appreciate it if you didn’t talk to me as if I wasn’t right here.” 

“Sorry,” Montgomery and Bishop said in unison. 

“I know what other people are going to say if and when word gets out about this,” Vic said. “And I’m prepared to deal with that. Trust me, I’ve been dealing with microaggressions my entire life, and this is no different. I can deal with it.” 

“If you’re happy,” Andy said. She had been suspiciously quiet this entire time. Perhaps it was because Andy, and Gibson, by extension, couldn’t say much without sounding like hypocrites. They had kept their relationship between a superior and subordinate secret for six months. “If you’re happy and you know the risks and implications, then I support you. You are an adult, and as long as you affirm that this is consensual and we have no reason to believe otherwise, then I support you, and I will support you regardless of how this works out.” 

Miller nodded. “You’re an adult, Hughes,” he said. “If you’re happy and he’s not hurting you, that’s what matters.” 

“What they said,” Gibson agreed. 

“I can’t judge,” Warren said. “I was in a similar situation and it’s unfair of me to pass any judgement, especially given the implications of what happened.” 

The group turned to Maya and Travis, the the last two, the most unpredictable. Travis would give his honest opinion, peer pressure be damned, and Maya was a wildcard. 

“I’m a firm believer that a woman has the right to control herself and her sexuality,” Maya said. “If you are having fully informed, consensual sex with Ripley, and you both understand the potential risks and the inherent power dynamics, then that’s your choice. I’m not going to begrudge you of that.”

Travis spoke last. “Let it be known that I’m not happy about it,” he said. “I don’t like the idea of superiors sleeping with subordinates, period, and it makes me more uncomfortable that the subordinate in question is my friend. That said, Vic, you _are_ my friend, and you’ve supported me through some extremely questionable decisions, I’m here for you and I support you. I'm actually hurt that you felt you couldn't tell me, and that's more concerning than anything. But I trust you and your judgement. And our boss’s boss or not, if Chief Ripley hurts you, I will kick his ass, and I’m sure I’m not alone.” 

The group chuckled, and murmurs of agreement rose from Vic’s teammates. She was glad to have their support, and she was equally glad to not have to hide her relationship from the people she trusted most. 

“Now that we’re here,” Miller said, pulling out his phone. “Can we order a pizza and watch the Seahawks here? I mean, we already have beer and the less we have to do at my place, the better.” 

Vic grinned. Right about now, she would agree to anything. She and Lucas had defined her relationship, she no longer had to hide from her teammates, and her teammates approved of her relationship. “Sure,” Vic said. “Just don’t order anything with olives. They’re disgusting.” 

The rest of the team added their input, and Vic sat back and grinned. Her teammates were more than teammates. They argued with each other, they protected each other, they laughed together, they cried together, they shared meals and they shared living spaces. They were more than a team. They were a family, and nothing made Vic happier than not having to keep secrets from her family.

**Author's Note:**

> Did you like it? Was it awful? Leave a comment and I'll love you forever.


End file.
